Death Engineering

Good luck with the wayward rovers! I scaled back the size of my rover so I could carry some robotic ones while keeping the mass still Duna capable with chemical rockets. Not having much luck however..

Great idea to do a tribute! Haha riding the capsule down Maj. 'King' Kong-style (Dr. Strangelove)

Wow can't believe I missed this challenge, considering I've been developing the hardware to do exactly what this challenge objective describes. If the 0.21 update doesn't render my stock hardware crafts useless, I'll be working on this ASAP!

That looks totally bad-a**! Is the coupler between the S1-C and the S-2 a "wobble point"?

Thanks! Trying it again without nukes and more rovers next...

Yeah, I wasn't sure how to weight SRB's vs not using the nuclear/NERVA engine. As it stands, if you use SRB's and do not use the nuke, you're still +5 net points ahead. Hopefully that's still a balanced approach..? ps. It was too cold..

I've seen some very unusual behavior of vessels jumping around when engaging/disengaging time warp while doing a rendezvous in deep space to rescue three kerbals who just completed their Moho landing but didn't quite have enough fuel to reach Kerbin. Several orbits around around Kerbin later (and about 750 days if I recall), the rescue ship finally got to them. As I approached to dock and time accellerated to close the distance between the two, the distance would jump from ~1400m to over 3000m. Made for a very slow docking since it had to be done in real-time.

Less than 10 minutes.

Sometimes those medium structural beams don't snap perfectly to the longer beams. Did you create one pod and clone it to make 4, or build them all separately?

My submission for this mission. Some things went well, some not so much.. Points not earned, or not discounted, in red. Basic mission profile to earn the base of 50 points Addition points for standard mission goals: •3-kerbal mission +10 •2-kerbal lander +10 •2-stage lander with separate ascent stage (descent stage stays on Duna) +20 •Launch escape system (LES) escape tower +10 •Duna lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20 •Lander tucked away behind some fairing +5 •Perfect landing - no damage to LM +10 •Dock with LM's ascent stage prior to leaving Duna's SOI +10 •Ascent module de-orbited to burn up in Duna's atmosphere +5 •Plant at least one flag +3 •Splash-down on Kerbin (water landing) +5 •Kerbal fatality -20 each (if any kerbal is left on the Duna surface after the ascent module leaves the surface or the CM leaves Duna orbit, they will die). Flight goals: •Launch vehicle should avoid using solid-rocket boosters during its ascent. This *does not* include use of Separatrons that are not used for ascent purposes. If you use a SRB for ascent -10 •Complete the mission with only chemical rockets (no nukes). The KSC already has a crate of chemical rockets on hand and you get a bonus for not having to accelerate development on the nuclear engine +15 •Aerobrake around Duna to achieve orbit +10 •Less than 75 days from game start to Duna orbit? Launching when the game saves starts and performing a standard orbital transfer gets you into a Duna orbit 75 days from when the provided save game starts, day 129 in the game. Find a faster way to get into a Duna orbit using another transfer faster and earn +1 point for every day less than 75 days it takes to get to Duna orbit, from the starting point of day 54, where the provided save game starts (calculated by 129 - day when Duna orbit is reached). •Water sample return bonus! Land on either polar icecap AND return a sample to Kerbin (either as part of the kerballed lander or a robotic lander) +10 Rover: •At least one rover on board +5 •Rovers can seat at least one Kerbal +5 •Additional rovers +3 each •Distance (score for one only and counts only for a kerballed rover) •Drive beyond 10km of the lander +15 Orbital Science goals: •Deploy orbiting satellite around Duna +5 •Deploy orbiting satellite around Ike +10 •Duna surface science goals. Each science package must be a powered probecore with at least one scientific instrument. •Deploy one science package at landing site (on the LM itself counts, if that part of the LM stays on Duna's surface and remains powered) +5 (destroyed on ignition of ascent stage) •Deploy a science package at least 2.5km from the landing site +10 (score first one only) •Deploy a science package at least 1000m +/- different alititude from LM or any other science package +15 (score first one only) •Deploy a science package adjacent (within 100m) to any anomoly +10 (score first one only) •Deploy a science package at least 10km from the landing site +10 (score first one only) Score: 228 points Mission details:

If either a probe or a kerballed lander makes it to either icecap, the sample is captured. If a part of that probe or the kerbal makes it back to KSC, the sample is returned. Note that if you use a probe to capture the sample, that probe can return on its own to Kerbin - it does not need to return with the command module, but it can. In other words, if you can drop a sample return probe from the main mission craft that can return to Kerbin on its own, then go for it. That would be really cool!

Great idea! Hope you don't mind me taking up the "challenge". http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/40515-Duna-Apollo-Style Includes a save-file 24 hrs before the first Duna transfer window.

Duna Apollo Style Continuing the ideas from Xeldrak's challenge Doing it Apollo style, this challenge tries to capture NASA's post-lunar space program ideas for Mars exploration. After the Apollo program succeeded in proving that NASA's space hardware was capable of landing and returning to the Moon, interest quickly waned in continuing Moon missions. However, there was interest in going other places like Mars and Venus, but since there were already hundreds of thousands of government and contractor workers constructing Apollo hardware, the idea was to use modified existing hardware originally designed for Moon missions. Very little was known about the Martian atmosphere, but manned flyby's were considered using modified Apollo hardware. A new kind of nuclear powered rocket engine was also on the drawing board for deep-space missions. That didn't happen. But we can do it Kerbal-style, and make it a landing and return mission! This challenge is to use Apollo-style mission hardware to achieve NASA's imagined goals to land on and return from the Red Planet, in our case, Duna. Extra points are weighted to use Apollo-style mission profile, in the same way NASA planned to use modified Apollo LM/CSM hardware and an upgraded Saturn 5 launch vehicle. For this mission, we will extend the original vaccuum-only landing concept of Grumman's LM to include any command pod in KSP. Provided as part of the challenge is a save game file which is 24hr before an optimal Duna transfer window (day 54 of year 1 in a "fresh start" game). This gives you enough time to get your craft into orbit and prepare for the interplanetary transfer. You do not have to launch in this window, but you cannot launch earlier than this window. This file also includes a pad-light near the launch pad in the event of a night launch. It also gives a good place to 'park' if you wish to time-accelerate to an alternate launch window. It is recommended that you develop your vessel in another save game, or use one you already have, then transfer it over. Basic mission profile to earn the base of 50 points: Non-asparagus, Saturn 5 style launch vehicle: 3 main stages to LKO, no asparagus-style fuel-tank/engine jettisons on ascent to LKO. Solid rocket boosters ARE permitted, as they were being developed for the Space Shuttle, but there is a penalty for making KSC accelerate their development for this mission. Start with the provided save game persistent file. Single launch mission. No refueling or constructing the vessel in orbit from multiple lauches. The Apollo CSM was not capable of doing a 'direct ascent' mission. You must use a separate command module and lander. Powered descent, parachutes, or a combination will qualify. All stock flight-parts. No mods which provide improved flight performance or flight assistance (auto-pilot) are allowed. Return at least one of the Kerbals that started the mission back safely to Kerbin's surface. Addition points for standard mission goals: 3-kerbal mission +10 2-kerbal lander +10 2-stage lander with separate ascent stage (descent stage stays on Duna) +20 Launch escape system (LES) escape tower +10 Duna lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20 Lander tucked away behind some fairing +5 Perfect landing - no damage to LM +10 Dock with LM's ascent stage prior to leaving Duna's SOI +10 Ascent module de-orbited to burn up in Duna's atmosphere +5 Plant at least one flag +3 Splash-down on Kerbin (water landing) +5 Kerbal fatality -20 each (if any kerbal is left on the Duna surface after the ascent module leaves the surface or the CM leaves Duna orbit, they will die). Flight goals: Launch vehicle should avoid using solid-rocket boosters during its ascent. This *does not* include use of Separatrons that are not used for ascent purposes. If you use a SRB for ascent -10 Complete the mission with only chemical rockets (no nukes). The KSC already has a crate of chemical rockets on hand and you get a bonus for not having to accelerate development on the nuclear engine +15 Aerobrake around Duna to achieve orbit +10 Less than 75 days from game start to Duna orbit? Launching when the game saves starts and performing a standard orbital transfer gets you into a Duna orbit 75 days from when the provided save game starts, day 129 in the game. Find a faster way to get into a Duna orbit using another transfer faster and earn +1 point for every day less than 75 days it takes to get to Duna orbit, from the starting point of day 54, where the provided save game starts (calculated by 129 - day when Duna orbit is reached). Water sample return bonus! Land on either polar icecap AND return a sample to Kerbin (either as part of the kerballed lander or a robotic lander) +10 Rover: At least one rover on board +5 Rovers can seat at least one Kerbal +5 Additional rovers +3 each Distance (score for one only and counts only for a kerballed rover)Drive beyond 100 meters of the lander +2 Drive beyond 2.5 km of the lander +5 Drive beyond 5km of the lander +10 Drive beyond 10km of the lander +15 Orbital Science goals: Deploy orbiting satellite around Duna +5 Deploy orbiting satellite around Ike +10 Duna surface science goals. Each science package must be a powered probecore with at least one scientific instrument.Deploy one science package at landing site (on the LM itself counts, if that part of the LM stays on Duna's surface and remains powered) +5 Deploy a science package at least 2.5km from the landing site +10 (score first one only) Deploy a science package at least 1000m +/- different alititude from LM or any other science package +15 (score first one only) Deploy a science package adjacent (within 100m) to any anomoly +10 (score first one only) Deploy a science package at least 10km from the landing site +10 (score first one only) Challenge hints: Maximum points would be difficult to achieve without a long drive. Multiple un-kerballed rovers would help. KSC reports that their telemetry has observed sink holes over 1000m deep. Save game file 24hr before an optimal Duna transfer window: Apollo Style Duna Challenge.zip There is a theoretical maximum of 283 points in this challenge, if only one rover is brought and there is no bonus for getting to Duna orbit before day 129 in the game. Good luck, Kerbanauts! Leaderboard immelman - 349 Istas - 346 BlazeFallow - 329 Chacabuco - 321 KevinTMC - 320 Mesklin - 315 borisperrons - 299 Patupi - 294 Xeldrak - 278 capi3101 - 267 beelzebub - 257 Death Engineering - 228 TTurchan1 - 158 Synapse - 90

Having completed their primary objective of landing on Eve, Jeb attempts to return to Eve's orbit to rendezvous with Kirk waiting on the mother ship.

Thanks Xeldrak! This challenge was the perfect diversion in the "things to do while waiting for 0.21" category. Cheers! I did not stick to strictly "no-mods" rule, however all parts are stock and there are no flight-assist mods. I used only KSP MapSat and Alarm Clock. After all, Neil and Buzz had lots of probe data to help them pick their landing site. And Alarm Clock is just because I don't see any point in flying missions in real-time and I don't like missing node windows. The goals in this challenge resemble the Apollo 15 mission, but I thought it was important to include a proof of concept for the launch escape system (LES) in the fashion of the Little Joe II rockets. I don't expect any extra points for it, but since I wanted to make sure the LES worked it made sense to replicate the original test vehicle for this concept. During my development of the Saturn 5 style lifter for this challenge, there were several "mishaps" where I actually used the LES and it worked perfectly.. but to use those examples as my challenge entry would not have make a lot of sense. Little Joe II/LES Test Launch At the landing site.. 30 points for the effort, +15 for landing accuracy. Full Mission Details: Doing it Apollo Style Challenge: Main Mission - 30 points Everything has to be started with a single rocket (no building ships in orbit or refueling in orbit) You have to fly a LOR mission (you need a Command Module [CM] and a specialized Münar Module [MM]) No mods! All stock, no Mechjeb. (Did Neil and Buzz land by auto pilot?) BYOR (Bring your own rocket) - The rocket must be your own design Goals 3-man Mission +10 2-man Lander +10 2-stage Lander (leave the decent-engine on the mün) +20 Main rocked aspargus'd? -10 (Wernher von Kerman does not like aspargus!) Escape tower? +10 Lander stored behind the CM during ascent +20 Lander tucked away behind some fairing? +5 Free return trajectory to the mün +10 Flawless landing (no parts broke off, Neil Armstrong is watching you!) +10 Got a Munar Roving Vehicle (MRV) on board? +15 After succesfull Mün landing docked CM and MM in Orbit (no swapping ships without docking them first) +10 MM disposed by crashing it into the Mün (remove Kerbal first!) +5 Plant flag on the Mün (no cumulative, i.e. two flags don't get you 6 points) +3 Spashing down on Kerbin (land on water) +5 Kerbal dies -20 Awesome new goals: Keep the CM pilot busy Deploy münar sub-satellite before returning to Kerbin +10 Points Landing accuracy Land within 100 meters of the NAM +15 I was roving on the Moon one day... Proper shakedown -5 points - Drive beyond 2.5 km of the lander MSEP - Mün Surface Experimental Package Science extravaganza! - 15 points - Deploy four experimental packages 2.5km from the landing site (and at least 2.5km from eachother) Score: 203

<SPOCK_RAISED_EYEBROW> New terrain? </SPOCK_RAISED_EYEBROW> Nice.. I did not notice that! After playing 0.19-0.20 like a fanatic and doing return missions from everywhere landable but Vall and Bop, I'm building some "sensible" .crafts with the intent of coming at the sandbox in a logical, progressive fashion: using Kerbal Alarm Clock to plan missions and KSP MapSat to look for anomolies so that I actually have a reason to go places. Sending probes to places before trying to set a boot down on it first, as it should be. Designing an orbiting space station that has an actual reason to exist as a holding place for large crews while assembling interplanetary vessels in orbit and providing a refueling station for Kerbin <-> Mun <-> Minmus shuttle.

A friend who plays Minecraft found it and mentioned it to me. She was like "You like to build model rockets and you're always talking about how you use clustering and staging for your model rockets.. you should try KSP." My incomplete Saturn 5, Saturn 1B and V-2 are now collecting dust and my Saturn 1 Block 2 is sitting with 5 engines installed and wired for launch, pouting at me from the launch pad assembly on my desk.

This is my interplanetary workhorse. Has a Sr. docking port on top, a standard size on the bottom and a Jr. size on the side. Carries 6 drops tanks for extra fuel and room for 2 orbital or lander probes. Also has load of lighting on all docking ports. This has carried my Eve return-lander to its destination with enough fuel to return and an entire modular base to Duna. Even with the 6 nukes, burns are looooooong with heavy payload.

Curious to see how it flies when I get time later. It's not really asparagus anymore.. more like salami. ;o)

I've been wondering how to use fuel line between vertical stacks like this.. brilliant idea!

Returned to Eve with my proven return-to-orbit vehicle, but this time with a one-seat rover strapped to the side. However, every time I decoupled the rover, which drops to Eve on its own chute, it kept getting caught on the return-stage's docking port. Small grumble. Then after landing and doing a quicksave, then reloading after getting my IP return vehicle in position to meet up with the ascent stage, the Eve lander would crumble and explode furiously! When I quicksaved, it was stationary and all was well. I'd even planted a flag and climbed back into the command pod. But nothing I could do would change the fact that the lander self-destructed when the quicksave restored. Annoyed. |

I've had this problem when using these docking ports attached to an adapter with struts between the adapter and the rest of the craft. Whenever I would approach to dock, the two crafts actually repelled each other instead of attract! This happened multiple times with multiple crafts and launches. The solution seemed to be moving the struts further towards the adapter edge so that the strut connector was not touching the backside of the docking port through the adapter. Here is a pic of what the struts on the adapter look like which did allow docking.

Is this a one-way mission lander?

Good luck! Did the same thing myself.. very hard place to take off from and get into orbit.

I finally rescued Bob, Jeb and Chademone! After a successful visit to plant a flag on Ike, their return craft ran out of fuel while attempting to enter Kerbin's orbit. The resulting highly eccentric Kerbol orbit was very challenging to get a rescue vessel to so that they could refuel! Deep space rendezvous and docking is much harder than any interplanetary encounter. After a long wait a few correction burns, a Kerbin encounter finally came up. They spent a whopping 1086 days on the mission but landed safely back on Kerbin!